Is seafood safe?

November 04, 2006

It's official: Seafood is good for you. Except when it can kill you. Good luck trying to figure out the difference.

The National Academy of Sciences, the nation's leading scientific advisory body, set out to clear the air about seafood. A new report from the academy says that for most people, the health benefits of dining on fish a couple of times a week outweigh the safety risks.

Good news! That would seem to affirm what we've always heard, that seafood is a good source of nutrients and high-quality protein, low in saturated fat and may even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

That sounds clear enough. But the study also says the Food and Drug Administration still doesn't do a good job of testing enough fish for toxins, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't test enough for nutritional value. The academy reported in 1991 that the federal monitoring system was too lax to ensure the safety of seafood. That's still the case.

So, why are they so sure that the health benefits of seafood really outweigh the safety risks, if the monitoring system is full of holes?

Yes, be careful, the report says. If you're pregnant, or breastfeeding, or you're under 12, you should be careful about the kinds of fish you consume and how much you consume.

For example, if you're in one of those categories, you should avoid predatory fish that are high in mercury, such as shark, swordfish, tilefish and king mackerel. You should consume no more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna a week.

The academy emphasizes that consumers need help determining what's best for them based on understanding the risks and benefits of seafood. It recommends that federal agencies develop clearer guidelines and update regularly.

Such guidelines can be tricky. Even the academy's offerings are fuzzy. For example, the report says that children 12 and under "can reasonably consume two 3-ounce (cooked) or age-appropriate servings but can safely consume 12 ounces per week."

Reasonably? Safely? And what's "age-appropriate"?

"It takes skill and time to translate this information," said Kate Mahaffey, a senior scientist who has specialized in mercury research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Is it a reasonable burden to put on the public or are we going to put some effort into making information that the government has paid for more accessible?"

Buyer, beware. As the Tribune reported last year in "The Mercury Menace," supermarkets routinely sell seafood that is so tainted with mercury that federal regulators could confiscate the fish for violating food safety rules.

Seafood can be good for you. But it's important to know what you're eating, and right now you're not getting much help with that.